Super Smash Brothers: Mysteries of the Pure-Hearted Soul
by ML9614
Summary: Five years have passed since the fall of Tabuu, and the World of Trophies is now in a state of peace. The Smashers have settled down to enjoy this peace, but when a mysterious visitor arrives at the Smash Mansion, they are thrust back into action to combat a new evil unlike anything they have ever seen before. A grueling journey awaits the fighters... Rated T for safety reasons.
1. Prologue

Prologue

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**All official characters, locations, etc. are property of Nintendo. All original concepts (except for the Smash Mansion, which has been applied to numerous stories) belong to me.**

* * *

_It has been said that there exists a group,_

_A group created out of diverse characters from equally diverse worlds…_

_From the red-capped plumber from a world filled with Mushrooms and colorful creatures,_

_To the famous electric-type Pokémon that has captured the hearts of millions in its world…_

_Some were swordsmen,_

_Some were hand-to-hand fighters,_

_Some fought with futuristic weapons by their side,_

_Still, others fought with pure magic…_

_Initially, many of them struggled to work with each other,_

_But when their worlds almost collapsed at the hands of a powerful entity,_

_They were able to set aside differences and combine their powers into one force…_

_They were, and still are, a force to be reckoned with…_

_They will defend their lands until death…_

_They are… the Smashers._

* * *

He could not believe it.

He had strongly desired to take a flight outside to escape from this unending boredom, mainly for the purpose of reuniting with his buddies from his early days; he had even hoped to meet his love interest during the reunion. Or maybe, just maybe….

He wanted to fly just for the hell of it.

And he had just been denied that very chance.

The weather outside was too severe to even allow flights; a snow storm brought about not only poor visibility (which would be lethal when piloting a high-speed vehicle, for a pilot cannot see what was up ahead), but also high winds. Those particular winds scattered the snow throughout the terrain like a shotgun shell spreading its pellets on the desired target. Whiter and whiter, the colors of the terrain gradually became one. The vibrant colors of the previous season were gone. Frost slowly crawled over the majority of the window; it, combined with the storm itself, was enough to obstruct most of the view of the outside world.

All this had left frustration in the mind of an ace pilot. He was best known for his sharp skills when it came down to piloting high-efficiency fighters known as Arwings, but he had also gained notoriety for his arrogant personality and rather frequent use of sarcasm. He was a member of a commando unit-for hire known only as Star Fox. A blue-feathered avian, he was recognizable by his jacket, as well as the equipment that he had with him. Such equipment included a laser blaster and a device capable of reflecting projectiles.

His name was Falco Lombardi.

Falco paced around the room in frustration, praying that something interesting might pop up. Since the defeat of the powerful being known as Tabuu 5 years ago and, going further back, Andross, who was Star Fox's greatest nemesis, things have truly quieted down. The World of Trophies was now in a state of peace, with almost no shard of conflict to be found. Even the more villainous fighters have settled down; since Tabuu's defeat, they had not attempted to plot anything truly dastardly against the heroes. Few of the Smashers had even gotten the time to realize this, but the now-distant events of the Subspace Emissary had shattered whatever conflict certain Smashers might have had with each other and created a great force to combat a common foe. It was indeed proof that the villains were at least capable of showing some good intentions, as they agreed, albeit reluctantly, to aid the heroes in the final struggle against the ruler of Subspace.

During the very disaster that almost consumed the worlds, Falco hoped that he would finally relax once Tabuu was defeated. But, now that the adventure was long gone, this new peace had, rather ironically, brought something other than relaxation.

It brought near-endless boredom.

"Well, this is just great," Falco whispered under his breath, still pacing around the room. "It's freaking snowing outside and I cannot even take a flight to visit my pals… Someone really needs to do me a favor and do something to keep this boredom from getting to me. I don't care what it is, just… anything!" The tone of his voice was marked with not only frustration, but also desperation. It seemed that his desire for adventure had become so strong that he was willing to allow a shred of danger to approach to the Smash Mansion in order to kill the boredom that currently surrounded him.

His constant wandering eventually guided him outside of his room. He was feeling no different out in the halls than he was in his room; no matter where he was at, the boredom was a stalking shadow that would simply not release him. Feeling hungry, he slouched his way to the mansion's main kitchen to grab himself a snack. As he attempted to do so, however, he noticed something unusual outside of the mansion.

"…?" Falco twisted towards one of the hallway's few windows. Due to the heavy frost buildup and the snow storm itself, it was very difficult for the avian pilot to even observe just what was near the mansion. He pressed himself against the window for a better view. Eventually, he was able to get a clear glance of the exterior.

The sight he received was a rather strange one; a figure was standing several meters away from the mansion walls. It was very still, almost as if it was frozen in place by the chilling climate. Falco could not get much detail on this mysterious person; all he was able to get was that this person was donning a brightly-colored cloak that almost seemed to blend in with the snow. The cloak obstructed the figure's face, among other things, which completely overshadowed the person's identity. Falco was even unable to figure out the person's gender.

"Who is that guy?" he muttered to himself. But, before he could step away from the window to inform someone, the figure gradually began to fade away until it was one with the snow…

"Huh, it's probably just my imagination…" He continued towards the kitchen, now treating the figure's appearance as a one-off event. When he arrived at the kitchen, he approached the refrigerator and gently yanked the door open. As his eyes peered inward, he was faced with a decision.

"What should I get…" were the words that he spewed from his mouth as he was searching for something that might satisfy him for now. Near the bottom, a group of vegetables and fruits took up whatever space was available and filled it with a colorful variety, from apples to plums. Further up, there was a set of leftover cupcakes from Kirby's birthday party nearly 2 weeks ago (which was still good, rather surprisingly), followed by a pack of sodas from the same party. On the door, there were items that can used to make a sandwich, including cheese and mustard. The rest of the food items were either too large or detested by Falco. With the variety considered, a minute soared by before he finally decided on what he was going to snack on.

"I think I'll settle for the apple," he quietly puffed as he grabbed an apple and closed the door. Within a matter of seconds, he found himself gnawing into the rose-colored fruit as he continued to pace rather aimlessly around the mansion. A half-hour later, he eventually traveled down the mansion's main stairway and into the main hall. The area itself was decorated to possess astonishing beauty; a sparkling chandelier hanged over the room above everything else, complete with a golden color, while the room was filled with unique designs that resembled what was featured in homes from the Victorian era. In three of the cardinal directions (north, west, and east), there were three portraits: one of the powerful hand-like being known as Master Hand in the east, one of his less mentally stable counterpart, Crazy Hand, in the west, and one of all of the Smashers, current and former, in the north. The room featured different pathways that seemed to branch off into the various areas within the mansion. As he continued to chew, Falco peered out from one of the windows, once more reminded of the frustration of being unable to fly his Arwing due to severe weather conditions. He soon finished his apple and disposed of it into a nearby waste bin. He was about to keep pacing around the mansion, but froze in place as he noticed something outside the front yard. It was not long before he realized what was out there.

It was the same person that he witnessed from the hallways… once more, unmoving and obscured in terms of identity. Despite having a better viewpoint from where he was at, Falco still could not figure out just who that person was.

"What the hell…?" he gasped silently.

* * *

Later, during the evening, the Smashers gathered around in the dining area for dinner. Tonight's dinner: hot chicken soup served with bread and salad. Various Waddle Dees and Toads emerged from the kitchen doors to deliver the food for the hungry fighters. Warm steam emerged from the soups, giving comfort to the chilled fighters (even though there was an A/C system in the mansion set to warm up the interior). Once all the food was delivered, the Smashers began to consume their dinner. Most of the characters, like Mario, ate the food at a normal rate, but others, like Bowser (who was especially hungry), simply chowed down viciously, showing little to no care for their manners. While he was eating his dinner, Falco stared at the surrounding lands from one of the windows in the area. At that point, he was reminded of that event…

That event involving the figure outside of the mansion…

The figure whose identity and intentions were unknown…

Falco tried to shake it off, but he simply could not do so. For whatever reason, it felt too… too important to not inform the others, especially since the figure had appeared on more than one occasion.

"Guys," he said. "I don't know if this is important, but there was something that I noticed outside of the mansion earlier today. "

"What was it?" Ike, the leader of the Greil Mercenaries, asked.

"There was a person standing outside of the mansion wearing a very bright cloak; the cloak was just as bright as the snow outside, no joke. He, or she, was just standing still…"

"Had the person ever desired to enter the mansion?" Meta Knight squeaked.

"No clue, MK. I have no idea on why that person was out there, or who he/she even was. Later on, I noticed that person once more from the main hall. For some reason, I don't think that the guy's appearance is a coincidence."

Murmurs can be heard from the crowd as the Smashers conversed with each other about the mysterious figure. No one knew who this figure was, or what was he (or she) even doing in the vicinity of the mansion, but one thing was for certain; something unusual was going on. The question was: what _was_ going on exactly?

"It seems very strange," the floating hand known as Master Hand spoke up, "that someone would be waiting outside our mansion for unknown purposes. We'll need to keep an eye out for this person. We're not sure about his or her intentions, but just in case he or she wants all of us dead, be on your best guard."

The Smashers all nodded in agreement and continued to eat. They were aware that if they were to let their guards down, an unsuspecting evil could sneak in and throw all of the mansion's inhabitants into a perilous situation…

* * *

It was midnight now; everyone was asleep, preparing for another routinely day tomorrow. Most of the lighting was inactive, shrouding the mansion in darkness. It was at that point that the snow had ceased to pour down, coinciding with the departure of the gloomy clouds from above. The moon soon bathed the mansion and the surrounding areas with its soft, comforting light. Aurorae stretched across the moonlit sky like soft, magical ribbons, adding on to the beauty of the winter night. It was a peaceful sight to behold; nothing seemed unusual at this time.

Or so one would think.

At an unprecedented time, a bright light suddenly sparked near the mansion. While initially unseen, the light was eventually noticed by someone from inside the mansion. As he woke up, he rubbed his eyes to clear up his vision. This man was recognizable by his blue hair, along with a cape that had the color of the oceans on it. On his hip, a sheath was fixed in place and inside of it was a far-reaching blade known as the Falchion, believed by many to have the power to slay even the mightiest of dragons. The man was the prince of the distant land known as Altea, and has saved the land on multiple occasions.

His name was Marth Lowell.

As soon his vision cleared up completely, Marth peered out his window. Since the snow storm was no longer present, it was easier for him to observe the exterior (even though there was still a good amount of frost present on the window itself). The almost-heavenly light complicated things; it caused Marth to squint his eyes and nearly forced him to turn away outright from its source. His eyes proved to accommodate quickly, however, and was gradually able to observe what potentially otherworldly event might be taking place. As he continuously focused, he caught a glimpse of a person placed just underneath the light's source. Witnessing this, and the general event, as something odd and possibly dangerous, he gathered all of his equipment and barged out of his room, inept of the possibility of disturbing someone else in the mansion. He felt himself rushing through the hallways….

Past the bedrooms….

Past Master Hand's personal office….

Into the main hall….

Down the staircase….

All this time, his heart was beating rather quickly; if this event truly was a sign of danger, than his inability to act could spell doom for the Smashers.

He soon exited the mansion via the main doorway and sprinted towards the light. As he approached, the intensity of that very light increased, hampering his vision. Of course, this failed to prevent him from reaching the source itself and he soon arrived at his destination. It was at that point that he discovered what he was searching for: a person with brightly-colored robes that obstructed many features, including most of the face. Almost immediately, he was reminded of what Falco had revealed to the Smashers at dinner time and received an instant revelation.

"This is… the person that Falco told me about," Marth exclaimed inside his mind. He reached for the hilt of his blade, in case danger ever came knocking, but before he could fully prepare himself, the light was suddenly extinguished and the mysterious figure collapsed almost instantly into the snow, an unpleasant sign. As Marth proceeded to carry the figure into the mansion, the other Smashers emerged from the main doors, having noticed the light that was previously present.

"Marth," the green, overall-clad plumber known as Luigi called, catching a glimpse of the Altean prince from a distance, "What's-a going on?"

"This person here was summoning a light before he collapsed all of a sudden," Marth responded. "We may need to help him."

"Wait a minute," the famous Hylian hero named Link interjected, "How can you be sure that he is not a hostile trying to lead us into a trap?"

"I do not have the answer to that, but we will find out sooner or later."

"Hopefully, we do." The tone in Link's voice struck some of the fighters as skeptical, as if he refused to trust the unexpected visitor.

The Smashers soon gathered around in the infirmary, unsure of the status of the unknown figure. As Marth laid that particular person down, the hood unraveled and realization dawned upon all of the Smashers.

"That's not a man…" Fox McCloud, Falco's commanding officer, gasped, "It's a lady!"

Fox's comment was merely a fragment of the physical characteristics that applied to the beautiful maiden lying in front of the fighters. Her hair was very close to the color of an angel's wings and the sheer beauty of it was complimented by her soft and very smooth skin, especially in the facial area. As she was unconscious, her eyes were closed and concealed the eye color within, but nevertheless, she could be best described by the Smashers as someone who seemed divine in appearance and, most likely, intentions. The fact that she was sleeping only amplified the peacefulness of her appearance. The Smashers continued to gawk at her, until Mario, now clothed in medical garments, appeared to check for anything abnormal about the young female. As a doctor, which was one of his many passions, it was his job to ensure that all injuries and bodily abnormalities were treated and accounted for. After what seemed like a third of an hour, he was finished with his examination.

"Hmm," Mario puffed, "She doesn't appear to-a have any injury of any sort, which is a good thing-a. No bruises, no blood loss, no broken bones, nothing. However, for whatever reason, she's-a nearly drained of all energy."

"What do you think we should do?" Captain Falcon, a renowned F-Zero pilot, asked in a low tone.

"The best that we can do is to let her rest."

"For how long-"

Before Falcon could finish his sentence, an interrupting moan was heard from the examination table. The fighters turned their attention to the maiden, who was slowly waking up. As her eyelids opened, her eyes were revealed to have the color of healthy grass blades, another feature that bolstered her overall appearance. All of the Smashers, including Mario, stepped away from the table several times to give her some space. When the maiden's vision began to clear up, she slowly leaned upwards into a sitting position. She then raised her head to notice the faces of all 35 Smashers, none of them being any familiar to her. It was at that point that she squeaked in a gentle yet surprised tone:

"Where am I…?"

* * *

**And that's the prologue! What are your thoughts on the story so far? Please R&R. More to come soon!**


	2. The Crossing of Paths

The Crossing of Paths

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**So, here we are. We're about to witness the Smashers formally meeting a new face. Who is she, and what are her intentions? These questions will be answered in the next chapter. On with the story!**

* * *

The maiden stared at her newfound surroundings. She was unfamiliar with this particular area, with no recognition of any of its features whatsoever. Though she was aware that it was a medical center of some sort, with the presence of special equipment like bandages and medicine, where she was at exactly was still a cloud of mystery that hovered over her head. She was just as unsure about the thirty-five people that surrounded her. The faces that were glancing at her were diverse; some were swordsmen, a few of them seemed to be more menacing in appearance (with the so-called "King of Evil", Ganondorf, being especially notorious in this aspect), several more were strange creatures that were obscured from her eyes until now, and some seemed to have no malicious intentions whatsoever. The diversity, however, failed to block a certain question within the confines of her mind:

_Were they friends? Or were they hostiles? _

She was completely unsure of the answer. There was no doubt that they could be friendly and be willing to aid her in her plans, but if they turned out to be hostiles instead, her life could very well be in danger. Still unsure of what to do, she decided to patiently wait for them to perform an action, for if she tried to attack them and they turned out to be friendlies...

"Welcome to the Smash Mansion," greeted Captain Falcon, revealing a high degree of friendliness towards the maiden herself. As he did not perceive her to be a hostile, he strongly desired to make her feel accepted inside the mansion. This brought sheer relief to the maiden; Falcon's friendliness comforted her to the point where she no longer had any desire to attack or, at the very least, escape from the Smashers.

"Poyo," the pink puffball, Kirby, squeaked in a high tone. Giving that Kirby was unable to speak any existing language aside from his own, Falcon had to translate for him.

"Kirby said that we were able to rescue you after Marth noticed you fainting outside the mansion."

"Marth…? Kirby…?" the maiden whispered. Her voice was marked by a very distinct accent, almost reminiscent of what was heard in the often-frozen lands of Scandinavia. However, none of the Smashers appeared to have ever been familiar with that particular accent. To the majority of them, it was a potential sign that she was a foreigner of sorts.

"Poyo!"

Kirby leaped upward to ensure the maiden of his identity. She glanced at the puffball; he was rather miniscule, almost entirely pink, and possessed the ability to puff up in order to float. _A strange creature_, she wondered, _No organism in my world has ever possessed this sort of appearance. I wonder if there are more creatures like this one in this realm…_

"That would be me. I am Marth Lowell, the prince of Altea." The Altean prince stepped forward, also in response to the young maiden's comment. The maiden turned her attention towards him. _A prince from a distant land, _she once more whispered in her wind, _He's also appears to be a swordsman of sorts. He's seems so… determined, so confident. _

"May I ask," Marth continued, "who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Lillian Åkerfeldt, and I am from a distant world separate from yours. I have traveled to this area to seek help."

"What seems to be the problem, Lillian?" Mario asked, slightly eager to hear about the adventure that he and his fellow Smashers might be delving into. No matter how dangerous they were, Mario always had an interest in adventures, and the people that were close to him were fully aware of it. _He seems to have a taste in pursuing dangerous adventures,_ Lillian remarked. She then cleared her throat before proceeding to reveal her reasons for visiting the Smash Mansion.

"There is a dark, twisted force known only as the "Svärtad Orm", and it was responsible for causing death and destruction wherever it traveled to thousands of years ago. The destruction was not limited to my world; it scattered itself across all of the realms, including the one you all reside in now. Not long after that, the realms were plunged into utter chaos. Thankfully, it has been sealed away since that incident by a magical item known the "Staff of Björn", named after the hero who had defeated the force. The staff has been separated into five parts to prevent the entire artifact from falling into an evildoer's hands."

"Hold on," Falco spat, "Back up. If this thing is sealed away, then why do you need our help?"

"Recently, a new group has spawned from my world and is intent on reviving the Svärtad Orm. It is known as the "Orm's Lords" and its members are searching very extensively for the five parts of the staff. If they get their hands on the staff, they can revive that dreaded thing and usher in an age of ruin…"

After she was finished speaking, her hands magically conjured multiple images right in the Smashers' eyes. One of them featured a serpent with skin possessing the color of charcoal. As the Smashers stared at it, they noticed that black, smoky tentacles were emerging from its body and its eyes possessed the color of blood. None of them uttered a word, but they all realized that, analyzing the snake, it was indeed the so-called Svärtad Orm that Lillian was talking about. It was a sinister sight to behold, even for the villains themselves, but equally disturbing was the image of several figures gathered around in what appeared to be a neo-Gothic cathedral. Besides the foreboding background itself, the group members were all garbed in lengthy, shadow-colored cloaks, each one having a serpent adorned on the chest area. The hoods that were paired the cloaks obscured each member's face, leaving the Smashers to wonder who those people were, or if they were even people to begin with. Sinister as those images were, however, a third image provided comfort to the fighters. In that particular image, a staff forged from platinum was the main focus. The tip of the staff was forged from diamond, a very valuable mineral, and glowed with such radiance that it illuminated almost the entire background of the image. Just beneath the diamond was a set of wings; the wings were rather angelic in appearance and were a sign that the staff was a weapon of holy power, designed to banish any and all traces of evil whenever it was used. The images were just enough to convince the Smashers that this matter was a serious one indeed, and the refusal to act was not an option.

"So," Samus Aran, a bounty hunter clad in the Chozo-designed Power Suit, muttered, "We need to search for the five pieces of the Staff of Björn to stop the Orm's Lords from unleashing the creature."

"Correct," Lillian answered, just after dispelling the images she created.

"The question is: where are those pieces?"

"I cannot reveal their locations now, as my powers are not strong enough to sense them."

"What happened to your powers?"

"Most of my energy was consumed in an earlier battle, and whatever was left was focused into the signal that I summoned earlier." This statement left the Smashers wondering just what sort of enemy was Lillian battling. If it was the Orm's Lords organization, especially if it was in possession of a deadly foe, then that could mean that they would be facing a powerful group of enemies that they were unaware of until now. Some of the Smashers were chilled by this very thought alone, while others tried to suppress it to not have their confidences weakened.

"Do you believe that you can reveal the locations tomorrow?" Captain Falcon asked. He was never one to accept defeat, as he believed that there was always a way out of a tight situation, and he was certain that there was a way out of this particular situation as well. Most of the Smashers were more skeptical, however; they doubted that Lillian would even have the strength to track down the pieces by morning, and that could give the Orm's Lords enough time to complete their plan for world domination…

"I am unsure, but I will try to do my best when the time comes."

"Good, because if you cannot do so, than we may not get to those pieces before the organization does."

"Wait a second, why can't you just tell us now?" Fox questioned.

"When the staff was separated into its 5 pieces," Lillian turned her attention towards the vulpine, "the locations of each segment were kept hidden by the hero himself. After his death, the pieces were soon forgotten over time, leaving their existences known only to a certain few. However, I have been given the ability to track all five of them, which is useful since no map, realm-based or otherwise, has ever recorded their resting places."

"That makes sense."

It was at that point that Master Hand floated into the infirmary. As soon as he did so, he caught a glimpse of Lillian sitting on one of the beds.

"So, you must be the new visitor to the Smash Mansion," his great voice rang, possessing a tone of high power and respect. Like Falcon, Master Hand sought to make Lillian comfortable at the Smash Mansion. To him, it would be very upsetting if she, or any guest for that matter, experienced anything less-than-pleasant inside the mansion walls, a disgrace to the Smash Bros. organization itself.

"Yes, I am," she replied. "I am Lillian Åkerfeldt, and I have come here to request your help. You must be…"

"Please, dear, call me Master Hand. So, what was it that you wanted us to help out with?"

"Master Hand," Falco interrupted, "Lillian here is talking about some evil force known as the "Svärtad Orm" and some organization is out to get the pieces of this artifact known as the Staff of Björn, which is what keeps the force sealed away."

"Hmm…" Master Hand muttered, twitching his index finger as he did so, "Very troublesome indeed."

"So, you want us to go or not?" Falco's voice was filled with a slight amount of impatience. If the threat of the Svärtad Orm was real, then he believed that it would be better for him (and the other Smashers) for Master Hand to act immediately. The floating hand, however, quickly decided otherwise.

"Not yet. It's late now, so we must get some rest before we head off tomorrow. All Smashers please head back to your rooms."

All 35 fighters nodded in agreement and dispersed from the infirmary. Falco grumbled slightly at Master Hand's decision before he exited the room; he had desired another adventure to suppress his agonizing boredom, but he would have to wait until tomorrow to quench his thirst for that very adventure. As soon as the infirmary was almost empty, Master Hand redirected his attention towards Lillian. "Would you like to stay here for the night, madam?" That comment made it clear that Master Hand had no intention of leaving Lillian outside of the mansion whatsoever.

"Yes, do you have any rooms available?" the maiden responded.

"Unfortunately, all of the bedrooms are occupied by the Smashers. But, I do have a couch situated in the living room that a person can sleep on. Do you wish to rest there?"

"I will. Thank you, Master Hand." She placed her feet onto the ground and strolled out of the infirmary. As soon as she was out of sight, Master Hand floated back into his office to get some much-needed rest.

* * *

A dark, gloomy atmosphere overtook the mansion; the nighttime seemed to have the effect of revealing what one might deem a second personality to the area. In the daytime, the mansion was a beauty to behold, with its unique architecture and amazing size that no other mansion in the world ever seemed to surpass. But, in the shadow of the night, that beauty would become twisted into something darker, a thing that both the Smashers and the Hands were completely oblivious to. As Lillian wondered through the mansion, a chill shot across her back. The mansion, in her mind, appeared more reminiscent of an abandoned structure typically seen in Gothic stories and less reminiscent of an inhabited mansion. _This place seems haunting, _she pondered, _and I am rather surprised that no one in here has the time to stare at the darker aspects of the mansion. It's something of a black rose to me, something that has beauty but in a corrupted form…_

Her steps eventually guided her to the living room, another section of the Smash Mansion. Like the rest of the area, it was swallowed by the lasting darkness of the night, just another pedal of a black rose. All of the electrical equipment, including a television and all of the lights glued to the walls, was shut off. The scene was overtaken by a truly ominous atmosphere, with no one in the area aside from Lillian herself, minimal lighting at best (and complete darkness at worst), almost no sound, and an uncomfortable cold feeling in the air. In the center, a couch was positioned a few meters away from the TV set. Though it was hard to tell, the couch was comprised of simple leather, a stark contact to the grand architecture present in the mansion. Lillian approached it and rubbed one of the arms with her right hand. The couch felt so… so smooth; it would definitely serve as a resting place in lieu of a bed. Within seconds, she slumped onto the piece of furniture and pulled a blanket that was hanging on an arm over most of her body, just so that she could remain warm throughout the night. She felt her eyelids grow heavy on her and within a matter of minutes, she drifted into unconsciousness…

Meanwhile, Marth was just outside of the living room. He had somehow avoided detection by Master Hand and was able to sneak into the main hall to check up on the maiden that was resting on the couch. As he glanced at her, a sudden thought crept into his mind; this maiden was truly a mysterious person from an equally mysterious realm, and he had never witnessed someone like her. To exacerbate this, he had no clue as to what her kind was like. Questions were rampant inside his head:

_Is she from a truly peaceful civilization? Or, is she from a society that desires nothing but dreaded bloodlust? If her people turn out to be a deceptive kind, what forms of trickery would they use to achieve their potentially heartless goals?_

Marth had no answer to any of the questions. As such, he was unsure if she really was seeking help from the Smashers, or if she was luring them into a fatal trap. One thing was for certain, however; killing her right now was not an option, for if she was a true ally and he utilized the Falchion against her, not only would he be shedding innocent blood but he would also cripple the Smashers' plans to stop the Svärtad Orm. The best he could do now was to pray for the best. He eventually traveled back to his room in order to obtain his sleep.

* * *

It was now morning; the sun was crawling over the horizon and the Smashers were preparing themselves for the adventure that they would be heading into. All equipment was getting packed and vehicles were under examination to ensure that they were ready to go. A hearty breakfast, scrambled eggs and waffles to be more specific, was prepared for the fighters, as well as Lillian, by Kirby to grant a boost in energy levels. It would be troublesome, in Kirby's perspective, if the Smashers lacked the energy needed to overcome the trials that they would encounter. As with last night's dinner, most of the Smashers ate normally, but a certain few showed no manners whatsoever and hoarded whatever food they were given. Kirby simply stared at the food-hoarders in disgust. As soon as all 35 of the Smashers present were done eating, they noticed Master Hand floating towards the table.

"Lillian," he asked, "Are you ready to show us the location of the staff's pieces?" Some of the Smashers were tense over whether or not Lillian was prepared to track the pieces down with her magical abilities. They were not alone; Master Hand himself was also feeling uneasy. _If she is unable to track the locations,_ he pondered, _there may be nothing that we can do to help out._ Everyone remained silent for the answer.

"I will use my abilities to mark the locations," Lillian finally responded. With these words, she raised her right hand into the air. Almost immediately, all of the bystanders noticed a glow from her palm. It was subtle at first, but soon intensified in a matter of mere seconds; this sudden change caused a few of the Smashers to squint and turn away. As the glow brightened, five golden spheres emerged from the light's source and hovered over the room for what seemed like a minute. The Smashers stared at the orbs, wondering what sort of action they, under Lillian's control, would be performing next. Their question received its response as the orbs circled around the room, slowly at first but immediately increasing in speed. Before anyone could utter a word, the orbs then suddenly launched themselves into five distinct directions outside of the mansion, never to return, and the glow on Lillian's hand soon diminished completely.

"That was… I've-a never seen anything like that," Mario gasped, apparently in shock over the event that just occurred. The other Smashers were just as dumbfounded, even frequent magic users like Princess Zelda of Hyrule, for they had witnessed no other magical ability like the one just shown to them. The Smashers even began to wonder about what other unheard abilities she would have in her possession. Lillian then closed her eyes in an attempt to concentrate on the locations. Seconds transformed into minutes; most of the Smashers were forced to wait patiently for Lillian to do her job. One character, however, was far less-than-eager to wait.

"Well?" Falco snorted, "Do you have the locations down or not?"

"Falco, please be patient," Ike grunted. Falco shot a harsh glare at the mercenary. The people that were close to him would recognize the fact that he absolutely despised having to accept orders from others, with perhaps the sole exceptions of Fox and Master Hand, and he was certainly not going to listen to someone that was too authoritative for him, especially when things get narrowed down to arguments and battle situations. Before he could do anything to retaliate against Ike, however, Lillian finally revealed her answer to the previously-asked question.

"The handle of the staff," she whispered, "is located on a planet that was once home to an alien race known as the Chozo. This planet was plunged into turmoil when an unidentified object slammed into its surface and unleashed a terrifying substance of corruption called Phazon. Most life on the planet perished and some creatures were twisted into horrifically mutated versions of themselves. Along with this, the Chozo's society eventually fell into ruin as a result of the deadly contamination. However, a warrior, known as the "Newborn" by the Chozo, arrived to destroy this fountain of corruption and restore life to the planet."

At that point, memories were thrust into Samus's mind; despite the long period of time between the events and the present day, she could remember every single detail that her mission on _that_ planet delivered to her.

The substance called Phazon…

Mutated creatures…

Remains of the Chozo's society…

The Impact Crater…

"Wait," Samus muttered, "You're talking about Tallon IV, aren't you?" Tallon IV was a unique planet; it was painted with many diverse regions, from the lush Tallon Overworld to the fiery Magmoor Caverns, and was filled with life until Phazon reared its hideous head into the environment. As Lillian mentioned, however, Samus destroyed the main source of the corrupting substance on the planet. What Lillian failed to reveal, though, was that Samus also defeated a powerful creature known as Metroid Prime, known in Chozo lore as the "Worm", and dismantled a Space Pirate operation exploiting the substance's ability to radically mutate certain creatures.

"Correct. This is where the handle will be at. The second piece, the mid-section, is located on a planet in the Lylat System. This planet is infamous for its inhospitable environment, with the lack of breathable air and acidic oceans being the most notorious features. It was once the stronghold of a maniacal scientist who was exiled from Corneria due to his dangerous experiments, and also the homeland of a vicious species hailing from the oceans. Since their separate defeats many years ago, the planet has since been abandoned, with no traces of life remaining."

The description of the planet was all too familiar to Falco; the details were stuck to his mind like glue, with a very minimal chance of ever being detached. Even though it has been years since the events of the two incidents (one with Andross and another with the fish-like species known as the Anglar), he could remember them like they had only occurred yesterday. It was near-impossible for him and Fox to wipe their minds clean of the deadly planet itself…

"Venom," was the only word that was released from his mouth. Indeed, Venom was a hazardous land, incapable of supporting life to begin with. Andross once gathered his troops from that cursed planet to dominate the Lylat System, which forced Star Fox to swoop in and resolve the crisis by force. The Anglar also emerged from the planet to wreak havoc on Corneria and other surrounding planets, but, like Andross, was eliminated by the heroic efforts of Fox and his team.

"The third piece, which is the left wing, is found in a thriving metropolis. This area is one of the more famous locales of a popular yet dangerous racing event known as F-Zero. It is also home to a hero whose past has been shrouded in mystery but has nevertheless foiled the plans of many dangerous criminals and saved numerous innocents on many occasions."

A sudden revelation was brought upon Falcon himself. Not only could he recall the perilous adventures that he experienced at that very area, but he was also able to tell the hero that Lillian was referring to was none other than himself.

"You must be referring to Port Town," he puffed. Port Town was something of a home to him; before arriving at the Smash Mansion, he resided at a chain of islands off the city's coast. It was where he created his plans and lived his life in solitude, for his reputation as a bounty hunter had earned him numerous foes. As Lillian had mentioned, he also protected the city from numerous criminals like Black Shadow, a dreaded figure that sought to bring chaos, and saved the lives of numerous innocents, including fellow F-Zero racer Jody Summer.

As an acknowledgement to his comment, Lillian nodded her head before continuing on. "The fourth piece, more specifically the right wing, is located in a kingdom on the continent of Akaneia. This kingdom was home to a prince whose parents were ruthlessly murdered by war-loving armies, while the prince himself was exiled from his own land. It was reclaimed when he gathered an army to shatter the enemy's grip on the continent, but fell into turmoil again when the prince was betrayed by one of his closest friends. He was forced to endure another series of trials before his land was liberated once more."

The events were still fresh to Marth. Time had no effect on his memories of those highly destructive wars; they just simply would not fade away, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them. He could also clearly recall the tragic loss of his parents, the capture of his sister, and not one, but two betrayals from two different groups.

"That's Altea," Marth gasped, "It has to be!" Even though he had been away for years, he could still remember the name of his beloved homeland. It was a bittersweet moment; he was departing from the Smash Mansion, which he now deemed to be a second home to him, but he was also returning to the one kingdom that he strove to protect in years past. He wondered how the inhabitants there must be feeling at the current moment…

"The diamond, which is the fifth and final piece, is resting in a factory somewhere in the Mushroom World. No, it's not exactly in the Mushroom World, but rather, in an alternative dimension nearby. It was once the stronghold of a mechanical madman who led a massive army of machines. He almost succeeded in conquering the Mushroom Kingdom, but five warriors arrived to disable his army and destroy him for good. Since the fall of his feared organization, activity in that castle has been non-existent."

_A mechanical madman…_

_A massive army of machines…_

Those words were cues for images to start zipping in Mario's head. While he initially believed that his memories of the aforementioned adventure had disappeared with time, he soon realized that they were, in reality, simply lying dormant, waiting for the right time to be unleashed. Just like the others, there was no known possible way to detach said memories of his respective adventure from his mind…

"Smithy's Factory…?" he whispered. As far his knowledge extended, Smithy was a dreaded villain who brought chaos by destroying the Star Road, which was the source of dreams in Mario's world, and scattering his minions across various locales across the Mushroom World. Malevolent beings they were, the minions had ruthlessly destroyed towns and attacked innocent civilians to achieve one goal: world domination. It was through a miracle that Mario, accompanied by his team, was able to overcome all obstacles that the so-called "Smithy Gang" hurled at him. The factory that the villainous organization once inhabited could be best described as a dark, relentless, and mechanical form of Hell itself, with numerous enemies, dangerous machines, and deathly traps.

"So," Link spoke up, "We have the locations of the pieces. Now, there are 35 of us here and there are 5 pieces, so we need to split up into 5 groups of 7."

"I'll-a lead the journey to-a Smithy's former headquarters," Mario interjected, "Since I am one of the few people here that are familiar with that place."

"Anyone who wants join the trip to Tallon IV should be with me," Samus announced, displaying the fact that she was the only Smasher familiar with the planet.

"I'll be the one to lead my group into Port Town," Falcon added. "Without me, a Smasher can get lost in a matter of minutes."

"The adventure into Altea will be led by me," Marth called. "I don't want a person unfamiliar with my land getting his or her group lost."

"Falco, I will let you lead the journey to Venom," Fox declared.

"What?" Falco gasped, "But, what about you?" Fox's comment struck him as unusual. As far as he could remember, he had never been on a mission to Venom without Fox by his side. So, why was Fox suddenly granting him control over the Venom expedition?

"I don't think you need my guidance to lead your team into Venom. You've shown yourself to be quite a leader with your former gang, and you have sharp piloting skills that surpass my own. I believe that you are more than capable of taking care of yourself, along the teammates that you will be getting in just a moment."

Still in shock over the comment, Falco was able to let loose only one simple response:

"Alright, I'll take control of my team."

As soon as Master Hand instructed the Smashers to join the groups available, the 30 Smashers not leading any of the expeditions scattered like balls on a pool table to determine which adventure that they would feel the most comfortable with. It was a scene of confusion; most of the fighters scrambled just to enter the groups that would be within the confines of their comfort zones. _Eager beings_, Lillian thought, _Always seeking adventure wherever they could sniff it out_. As the number of spaces began to decline, the hectic atmosphere withered and some of the Smashers were upset that they were forced to be zoned into groups that would either delve into completely unfamiliar territory or contain characters that would rather not be around. Within minutes, five groups of seven were finally present. The groups were as follows:

* * *

_Mario's group: Mario (leader), Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Wario, and Bowser_

_Marth's group: Marth (leader), Ike, Link, Zelda, Toon Link, Ganondorf, and Pit_

_Captain Falcon's group: Captain Falcon (leader), Peach, R.O.B., Red (the Pokémon Trainer), Jigglypuff, Kirby, and King Dedede_

_Samus's group: Samus (leader), Solid Snake, Meta Knight, Pikachu, Fox, Wolf, and Olimar_

_Falco's group: Falco (leader), Ice Climbers, Sonic, Lucario, Ness, Lucas, and Mr. Game & Watch_

* * *

"Now," Lillian whispered, "I will establish a telepathic link with each and every single one of you."

"And why is that?" Snake, a former member of the organization called FOXHOUND, asked. Lillian's comment took Snake aback; telepathy was something that he had not heard of in a very long time. During the events of the disaster dubbed "Shadow Moses", he encountered a legitimate psychic known as Psycho Mantis, who, among other things, possessed the ability to accurately predict which move Snake would perform via telepathy. Even with the advanced technology in Snake's home universe, Mantis's abilities were something that defied all forms of conventional science. Now, here he was, being reintroduced to this mystical form of magic…

"I need to be in possession of a form of communication with all of you during your searches for the staff's pieces. Since there will be 5 groups out in the field simultaneously, I cannot travel with all 5 at once. I am also doing this as a way of monitoring your vital signs and knowing your identities."

"I get it now."

Following the end of the conversation, the lighting in the room instantaneously diminished. Some of the smaller Smashers, like Kirby, shifted their heads left and right, as if not sure what exactly was going to occur. A mysterious silence befell upon the mansion, but was soon dispelled by a high-pitched hum that coincided with Lillian's entire body glowing in a golden light. Without any indicator whatsoever, thirty-five beams of light suddenly zipped out of her like bullets fired from a gun and immediately penetrated through the Smashers in a matter of a mere second. A numbing sensation tore through the Smashers; it was so great that they almost believed that they were no longer stuck to the floor of the main hall. What originally seemed like seconds suddenly felt like long hours, as if the flow of time was slowed down by the magical maiden herself. Just when it was believed that it would be virtually endless, the mysterious process finally reached its ending point and the numbing sensation faded into nothing. The Smashers noticed a faint glow around their bodies; it was a clear sign that the process was successful and that they were now capable of communicating with Lillian at any given time, no matter the distance. Shortly after that, the mansion regained its original lighting.

"Alright, Smashers," Master Hand boomed, "You should now have a telepathic link with Lillian. Now that you are all set, I will create some portals that will lead you to your assigned worlds. Leaders, if you have any vehicles, you can head down to the garage to retrieve them."

Out of the five leaders, Mario and Marth stayed behind with their groups, for they lacked a vehicle that was stationed in the Smash Mansion's garage. The garage was a massive area, almost the size of a full-blown hanger; it contained the vehicles of the majority of the Smashers, from Olimar's clunky Hocatate Ship, to the mighty mother ship of Star Fox, the Great Fox. Meta Knight's Halberd used to reside in the garage when not in deployment, but the events of the Subspace Emissary had reduced it to nothing. Since that time, the reclusive warrior would spend hours trying to forge a new model that would boast improved resilience and firepower. In addition to the main portion of the garage, a repair bay was also present in the event that a Smasher's vehicle needed repairs. With permission from Fox, Falco powered up the Great Fox to let its systems warm up. Meanwhile, Falcon and Samus also started the ignition sequences of their respective vehicles, the Falcon Flyer and Samus's personal gunship. Lower hums could be heard from all three vehicles as their systems gradually reached full power; those hums were so deep that one might believe that a miniature earthquake was rocking the garage. The members of Falco's group entered the garage to climb aboard the massive ship of Star Fox. Not too long after that, both bounty hunters guided their groups into their respective vehicles.

Outside, in the still-frozen front yard of the mansion, Master Hand conjured five portals that led to 5 diverse worlds, each one containing a piece of the Staff of Björn. The portals were distinct in appearance; each one presented a faint image of the world that it led to. In addition, three of them were significantly greater in size than the other two, most likely as an accommodation for the massive sizes of the vehicles that will be used. The remaining two groups, who were not in possession of a vehicle, strolled out of the front doors to witness the portals that hovered in front of them.

"Now, you will be heading into an adventure that will pit you against threats that we have never heard of before," Master Hand announced, "As such, this adventure will be rife with danger and you may not make it back alive. But, I believe that you are more than worthy enough to gather all the staff's pieces and stop the Svärtad Orm. Just be careful and do your best. Any questions would you like to ask?"

None of the Smashers from either group uttered a word. It was a sign that they were prepared for the adventure, which, to Master Hand, was a great thing. Not too far away, the massive garage doors whirled open to reveal the vehicles containing the other three groups. At that point, all three vehicles were warmed up and ready to endure the rigorous journey that lurked ahead. Noticing this, the hovering hand delivered one last comment to all of the Smashers present:

"Good luck and Godspeed."

The three vehicles soared out of the garage in almost an instant and dived into the portals. As they did so, the Smashers that were traveling on-foot also rushed into the portals to begin their adventures into dangerous territory. Within the minute that breezed by, all of the Smashers had vanished and the portals gradually dissipated. Master Hand soon floated back into the mansion, filled with the hope that the Smashers will prevail over the Orm's Lords. Meanwhile, Lillian was staring out from one of the mansion's many windows, having just witnessed the send-off.

"Please," she prayed, "You must stop the Lords from obtaining the staff's pieces, or all of the realms will be thrown into fiery chaos…"

* * *

**And that's the end of "The Crossing of Paths"! Here's what I will be doing for the next couple of chapters: from this point up until the final segment, the story will be divided into different "theatres" that will focus on each of the five groups. As said before in the previous chapter, please R&R.**

**A/N: "Svärtad Orm" is Swedish for "Blackened Snake". Also, Lillian's surname is derived from that of Swedish metal group Opeth's leading man, Mikael Åkerfeldt.**


	3. Mario's Theatre: Part 1

Mario's Theatre (pt. 1): Back into the Mushroom Kingdom

* * *

**So, we're finally down to the adventure itself, and we're starting with Mario's theatre first. What will Mario and his group witness as they attempt to retrieve one of the staff's five pieces? Read to find out!**

* * *

_The black rose is a special object…_

_It contains beauty, but in a corrupted form…_

_Its essence has fallen prey to evil forces…_

_Many have shied away from it, seeking happier pleasures in life…_

_Only the heartbroken and the faithless have taken solace in it…_

_It has been one of many objects represented in Gothic stories…_

_It is a symbol of infinite sorrow…_

_It is a representation of beauty meeting death…_

* * *

Dizziness.

Confusion.

Nausea.

Helplessness.

These words were occupying Mario's mind as he and his group soared through the portal to the Mushroom Kingdom. He had no idea on which direction was up and which one was down, at least not while he was being tossed around like a ragdoll. The violent motions were so frequent, so erratic that a nauseating feeling gripped his body tightly. It was very sickening to the point where he felt like vomiting his recently-eaten breakfast at that very point. He could hear the sound of Diddy Kong and Luigi screaming out of pure terror, which blended in with a loud ringing noise that punctured his ears painfully. _This must be what torture feels like_, he believed, _how could anyone tolerate such an agonizing experience?_

Just when he believed that the horror would never end, he suddenly slammed into a floor with a loud thud. A sharp sensation of pain suddenly ripped through him as if though he were hammered by an automobile. His legs wobbled as he tried to stand up; what was originally a simple task had become excruciatingly and unnecessarily difficult, no thanks to the heavy landing. On top of that, the ringing noise that accompanied the travel still resonated in his ears, leaving him inept to the groans of his group. His head cocked itself upward to examine the surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that his group members were sprawled all around him; they were either passed out or groaning loudly in pain from the impact. Bowser, in particular, was lying unconscious on the back of his shell, with its spikes piercing the earth. Additionally, Diddy Kong was stretched across DK's muscular form, with the latter ape grunting in agony from the former colliding into him. As strong as the massive ape was, the fact that he was visibly reacting to his pain from not one, but two impacts was a surefire indicator that even he had limits imposed upon him. The second thing Mario noticed was that he and his group were warped to a forest, filled with numerous trees of varying types. The winter snow that coated the area seemed to dull the colors present and had presented a scenery filled with potential confusion. The only clear indicator of where to go came in the form of a trail that was deeper than the rest of the ground, with one pathway leading to the north and the other to the south. There were no footprints of any sort present, a sign that it had not seen any use recently, which only complicated the cluelessness trapped in Mario's mind. There was a trail present, but the question was: _which way should the group go?_

As the ringing in his ears died out, Mario refocused on his group. "This is-a not going to be easy," he muttered to himself, "but we need to-a search for a way out of this area."

"Wah…" Yoshi moaned.

"Here, I'll-a get you up," Mario puffed. He extended his hands to Yoshi, who latched onto them feebly. As Mario stood him up, the dinosaur was overcome by an erratic shaking in his legs. Though he did not reveal any signs of it, worry occupied his mind; since he was weakened from the impact, he feared that he might be unable to stand or travel on his own. His tension thankfully disappeared when he noticed that he was able to stabilize his posture on his own. "You alright?" he heard Mario say.

"Yoshi dizzy…" As he groaned these words, the green dinosaur clutched his head tightly. Mario extended his right hand to the back of Yoshi's head and noticed a small bruise upon contact. The bruise was a faint maroon in color, similar to a pair of curtains that one might witness at a play. Mario grimaced slightly at this injury and reestablished eye contact with the disoriented dinosaur.

"Hold it together, Yoshi. We'll-a get to a place as soon as-a possible so that you may rest."

"My head…" Luigi croaked as he sluggishly lifted himself off the ground. A sharp pain was clawing its way inside the younger plumber, the result of a very harsh blow to the head. This pain was so intense that he had difficulty in seeing straight, with his ability to discern one thing from another heavily reduced. If Mario had the chance to examine how Luigi might have looked in his current state, he would have noticed that his younger brother seemed very close to vomiting the contents of his stomach, with his face fading to a pale green. Meanwhile, DK painfully forced himself upwards while clenching his stomach tightly, while Diddy leaped off to avoid interfering with the larger ape's recovery. A large red area was noticed on DK's abdominal area by Mario, an unpleasant indicator of the collision with Diddy. Nearby, Wario was completely unconscious, his overweight form stretched across the base of a nearby tree. As Mario stared at him and Bowser, a sudden thought zipped into his head.

_We need to carry Wario and Bowser until we either reach our destination or they wake up,_ he pondered. _Those two are very heavy suckers, so I need stronger guys to give them a lift. I can get DK to carry Bowser, while Yoshi can carry Wario._ Mario cleared his throat before proceeding to issue his commands. "Yoshi, I need you to-a carry Wario until we arrive at Toad Town, or until he wakes up. Think you can-a do it?"

"Yoshi will try…" the dinosaur muttered nervously. The thought of having to keep Wario on his back left him trembling; not only was Wario a very chunky person in literal terms, but Yoshi was still recovering from the impact that he had sustained from launching out of the portal at high speeds. However, given the situation, the dinosaur had no choice in that matter. With Diddy's help, Yoshi heaved the overweight plumber onto his back. A crushing sensation zipped across his back almost instantaneously as he struggled to stabilize his legs.

"DK, can you carry Bowser?"

"Sure, though I might need a break after this…" the ape puffed. As he approached Bowser, he was still clenching his impacted area tightly to suppress his pain, but had to stop so that he can hoist Bowser over him. He had to carry the Koopa King face down so that the spiky shell would not scratch him. Unlike Yoshi, DK had no problem carrying Bowser because of his great strength and despite the significant injury he had sustained.

"Where do we-a go?" Luigi shivered. The chilling weather was gradually causing the green-clad plumber to shake in a subtle but rigid manner, something which Mario and the others failed to take notice. Along with this, his arms were wrapped around his chest tightly and his teeth chattered slightly. Meanwhile, Mario twisted his head towards both directions of the trail, with no clue on which way to go, before focusing on his brother.

"I'm-a not sure…" the red-clad plumber slowly replied. "The only indicator is the trail that we are seeing right now, but which-a way to go is beyond me."

"Well, we need to choose sometime today," DK puffed lowly, "Because us standing here in the cold isn't going to be a lot of use." As soon as the muscle-bound ape was finished, he noticed that some of the snow was starting to stick on his fur, bestowing upon it a faint layer of soft white. Facing towards the left, he immediately realized that Diddy was undergoing this gradual process as well.

_Where to go… which way…_ Mario was almost clueless on the direction that he and his team should go. Before he could delve any further into thought, however, a faint flash of light sparked from the northern side of the trail. This light was a burnt orange in appearance, which contrasted with the snow on both the ground and the air. It was like a mix of fire and ice, in Mario's perspective. As a further detail, a distant explosion was heard by almost all members of the party, which left them wondering just what was going in the distance: a bomb going off, perhaps? Or, was it something worse…? Regardless, Mario now had something to go off of.

"Let's investigate the northern path," he ordered. All party members, sans Bowser and Wario, followed him with no hesitation. As they stomped through the snow, the frozen wind wrapped its arms around them to the point where the weather felt bitter, if it wasn't that way before. Yoshi desperately struggled to maintain his balance not only to sustain himself but to avoid having Wario slip off his back. The winds seemed to slow DK down as he firmly tried to keep Bowser from flying off. The remaining three could feel their hearts race out of eagerness and danger, eagerness because they now have a lead, danger because they could be bumping into a possible threat. Could it be…? No, it couldn't be; it couldn't be _them_, not here in the Mushroom World. The thought remained etched into the minds of the two plumbers and the cap-wearing ape as the party continued down the trail. As the party progressed, another light illuminated the trail, accompanied by another faint explosion. This time, however, the light was more intense and stayed illuminated, while the explosion was significantly louder. Worry began to stir up in the minds of all party members; whatever was happening could point out to something dangerous, and the possibility of that happening seemed to skyrocket as the group approached the source of the explosion. The question was: what was that dangerous thing exactly?

Mario suddenly halted when he caught a glimpse of a substance soaking into the snow. From where he was standing, the substance possessed a bright red color that contrasted sharply with the snow. _Someone spilled his juice while he was out here,_ he muttered internally. As the others froze in place, Mario strolled towards the liquid and proceeded to examine it further. Now under close scrutiny, the substance's bright red color darkened significantly, almost as if it was trying to manipulate Mario's mind. When the plumber shoved a hand into it, it stuck onto his glove like tar. His eyes glancing further, he now realized what the substance was.

"Is that… blood?" Mario gasped silently. Out of disgust, he wiped his glove into the snow to remove the blood. Before he could even go so far as to relocate himself, however, a shivering was picked up by his ears. Mario leaped up and sighted a figure wondering out of the thick mass of trees. This figure possessed a vivid yellow skin, a long beak, green shoes, and, above all, a grass-colored shell. For attire, he was wearing a pair of darkened jeans and a grey, long-sleeved shirt, along with a burnt orange scarf. From these properties, Mario instantly recognized the creature as a Koopa. He also noticed that the turtle-like creature was forcing a hand over his chest and exhibited erratic breathing; negative signs indeed.

"Sir," Mario muttered, "What's-a the problem?"

The answer that he received was not what he had expected. The Koopa gradually removed the hand on his chest to reveal a frightening property. His shirt was literally soaked with blood and on the center of his chest was a gaping wound, the type of wound inflicted by a sharp object or a bullet; it was enough to force Luigi and Diddy to hop backwards in shock. Mario simply grimaced at this; this poor soul had been impaled in the heart and required urgent medical attention. There was no time to waste…

"What-a happened?" the plumbed gasped.

"Something… attacked Toad Town…" the Koopa croaked, "It… was a… a group of figures… I couldn't tell… who they were… But, they weren't… any of Bowser's… troops… Please, help… us…"

"Wait-a, who's attacking Toad Town?"

"They were… wearing black robes… with… hoods… You cannot see… their faces… I think… they're searching… for something…"

"You need to-a come with us. That-a wound of yours will kill you if we don't-a get you to a hospital."

Before Mario could lend his support, however, the Koopa released a coughing fit that spewed drops of blood onto the snow, forcing the plumber to leap away to avoid ruining his clothing. The poor creature then collapsed to the floor almost instantly, hacking and wheezing uncontrollably while also letting loose an erratic shaking that caused most of the group to cringe before the shadow of death ultimately consumed him. As this was happening, Mario was left in a state of shock; not only had an innocent being died right in front of him, but the Koopa's words reminded him of what he feared the most.

"Oh, shit…!" he puffed.

"What?" Diddy mumbled.

"The Orm's Lords. They're-a here in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Are you serious?!" The smaller ape could not resist the urge to widen his eyes in fear. The fear soon spread like a virulent flu across all conscious members; if the dreaded Lords were here, in this realm, then there was no telling what sort of damage they were capable of inflicting upon an innocent kingdom… Mario had always anticipated what sort of damage Bowser and his troops would do, but the Lords were a different matter entirely. Unknown enemies, they could be a lot worse than the Koopa Kingdom in regards to wreaking havoc.

"I'm not-a joking. We need to-a reach Toad Town and repel those guys before they wreak more havoc."

"Let's get a move on, then!" DK yelped. The group hastily sprinted towards the destination, with each active member's heart now pumping at full speed. At that point, the bright light was now illuminating the area with a furious glow and the explosion was much louder than before; it had gotten loud enough to the point where Wario and Bowser sluggishly began to stir as a sign of regaining consciousness.

"Eh…" Wario grunted. His massive form stretched across Yoshi's back momentarily before contracting itself to lean upwards. As his eyelids peeled open, the first thing he witnessed was that he was being carried backwards at high speeds. "What's-a going on here?"

"We get to Toad Town," Yoshi squeaked, "Before it destroyed!"

"What do ya mean? I don't get this." Wario scratched his head in confusion, unaware of the panic overtaking the others. "Why should we be going to-a Toad Town?"

"The Orm's Lords are-a here," Luigi shuttered. "They're attacking the town right now, and we need to-a reach it before it's destroyed." Wario rotated his head in different directions to catch sight of panicked expressions from all party members except for Bowser, mixed up with quick breathing. It wasn't long before Wario eventually grasped the true severity of the situation. _So, they must be referring to those robed losers,_ he wondered. _Well, I guess we should go down to Toad Town to protect it, as long as I get some sort of reward at the end…_ Before he could even open his widened mouth, though, Bowser suddenly forced his eyes open, only to notice that he was being carried by DK.

"Hey, stupid ape," he sneered, "Do you mind putting me down?"

"So, you're-a finally awake. Did you enjoy the nap, big guy?" Mario muttered sarcastically. The others shot a confused glance at him; it was unusual for him to possess even a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice, even when he was battling fearsome foes. Why was he acting like that now? Bowser, however, refused to take note of this and unleashed a furious snarl at him. He absolutely despised it whenever someone, especially his most hated enemy, popped up an attitude with him and everyone close to him was aware of that fact.

"Mind your own business, sassy plumber! Hey DK, can you get your monkey hands off of me?"

"OK, OK. Geez…" DK hoisted the Koopa King off his back and into the ground. The latter joined the others in the rush towards Toad Town, albeit without a clue as to why the others are heading to that specific location.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"We're-a heading to Toad Town," Mario bluntly explained. "The Orm's Lords are here in-a the Mushroom World."

"Why should I care? I don't even wanna bother with the wimps that inhabit that place!"

"If we don't-a stop these guys, the Svärtad Orm will be released and you will have-a no kingdom to conquer."

That nearly set Bowser off. He had spent years attempting to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom and even the entire universe (on two occasions) so that he could deliver his iron-fisted rule over the innocent creatures that resided in his conquered land and, on a more personal note, snatch Peach, the crown princess, away from Mario. And now, he was going to lose it all to the Lords if nothing was done soon… This was beyond unacceptable, to steal something that was, in his opinion, rightfully his. His face flared up to a fiery red, reminiscent of a piece of metal absorbing massive amounts of heat. Meanwhile, his fists clenched tightly, as if he was about to hammer something soon.

"Those stupid robed freaks… I will rip their heads off, one by one, for trying to steal something that's mine and I mean MINE!"

"You'll get your chance soon enough," DK puffed. A few meters later, the seven finally reached the edge of the beloved Toad Town. However, they were greeted with an unpleasant sight, one that almost paralyzed them all; even Wario and Bowser seemed truly mortified. For one thing, the cold, warm-colored light that they had witnessed was simply Peach's castle catching fire. Mario also noticed that sections of the castle were missing; the explosions were originating from the castle, weren't they? Peach would certainly lose herself if her eyes were to establish contact with this… The damage did not stop there, for the buildings in the square were in a decrepit condition; doors were either damaged or completely torn off, windows were smashed to tiny pieces, making a barefooted stroll very dangerous, roofs were caved in, lights were decimated, which only served to darken the area despite (or perhaps because of) the day still stuck in morning phase, and some the buildings were even ignited. The snow did little to dispel the flames. To complete the wreckage, a statue depicting a Star, one of the most valued items in the Mushroom World, had toppled over, ruining its once-magnificent glory. But perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the damage was the massive amount of bodies out on the streets. Most of them were stretched across the ground, with numerous wounds on their bodies. One Koopa in particular was brutally slashed across the chest, resulting in a heavy amount of blood spreading across the front of his torso. The wound was so deep that it almost exposed the internal organs underneath to freezing temperatures. Meanwhile, several more were burnt to an almost unrecognizable state, which did more than force Luigi to clasp his hands over his eyes; it delivered to him a horrific feeling in his stomach. Blood was splattered across the streets and on the bodies of the unlucky citizens. It, in Mario's perspective, was a truly terrible sight to behold. In all of his experiences, he had not witnessed Bowser and his troops performing such a heinous act, not even once.

"This is a nightmare," Mario whispered to himself. "I cannot believe that the Lords would-a go so far as to slaughter people unworthy of-a death."

"_Mario, can you hear me?"_ a voice resonated in his head. Mario suddenly leaped upwards and was now on full alert. Someone was speaking to him, and it was not any of his party members. He jerked his head in all possible directions, hoping to locate the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" he gasped.

"_It's me, Lillian."_

Mario's tension soon faded away upon hearing the voice's identity. To believe that the voice was an unknown soul now sounded ridiculous… He had almost forgotten that Lillian had granted the Smashers a telepathic link with her.

"What-a is it?"

"_What is your status?" _

Mario stared at the death and destruction surrounding him, not uttering a word during that moment. _Lillian is not going to enjoy this,_ he pondered. He then cleared his throat before responding. "We're at-a Toad Town, but the Lords… They-a really did a number here. I'm-a seeing destroyed/damaged buildings and murdered citizens."

"_Oh my goodness… Any sign of the Lords?"_

"No. I don't-a think so. We'll continue our-a journey to the staff piece."

"_Alright, but be very careful. The Lords are the type of enemy that will not hesitate to slaughter innocents and will attempt to punish those who resist. If you must fight, fight to your maximum potential because they will not mess around and can deliver death to a person who makes even the slightest mistake. If they are too powerful for your group, then run."_

"Okay. We'll-a be careful."

* * *

In a twilight-coated forest, somewhere in an unknown realm, was a river. Water smoothly flowed from upper ground to a darker segment of the forest below. This river was also bathed in a soft yet dense fog, which formed a beauty so mysterious, yet so comforting… An ordinary traveler would have given in to the temptation of relaxing by this obscure place. The trees surrounding the area were numerous and bestowed upon the view of the sky a grass-colored shade. A gentle wind swept through the forest, rustling the trees and further fueling the calm, if not outright pleasant, atmosphere of the area. On the ground, roses were present in, surprisingly, copious amounts; most of them were tinted the color of blood, though some of them were white, pink, or even black. It would seem like that there was nothing to worry about here, thanks to the sheer beauty alone. However, there was absolute worry in the mind of a young man wandering around in the forest. His hair possessed the color of wheat, while being short and smooth in appearance; it seemed to be a rather heavenly feature to behold. His eyes matched with the grass that he was trampling on almost perfectly, with the only difference being that his eyes were slightly darker. His build could be best described as a mixture of lean yet thin, with muscle counteracted by a smaller mass. Height-wise, he was a taller person; for a better understanding, it appeared that he would be just barely shorter than Ganondorf. His attire was reminiscent to Lillian's, though it was otherwise entirely different. His dull white pants reached towards the inside of each of his leather-fabricated boots, firmly and neatly tucked in so as to avoid coming loose. His shirt was decorated with an emblem; the emblem possessed a lion surrounded by two brightly-colored roses, with the lion facing upwards and its jaw wide open. The right side of the chest was home to a ruby-colored brooch, reminiscent to what Marth had on his uniform. This brooch would shine when exposed to bright lights, but it was not doing so at the moment due to the low lighting. To complete his attire, his hands were coated with leather gloves that appeared to be recently polished, given its slight shine. On his left hip was a quicksilver-tinted sheath; the sheath carried inside of it a sword, with the latter object's features obscured almost completely. The man appeared to be the type of person who could make a female fall in love at will, but earning a mate was currently the least of his worries as he was searching for something or someone more important…

"Lillian?" the man called. He possessed a Scandinavian accent in his voice, like Lillian. His face was tense; with Lillian nowhere in sight, and with no means of establishing contact, he feared that she could be captured, or worse… What about the Lords? They could be stalking nearby, silently pursuing his flesh to capture or even murder him. He would have to keep quiet, but if he did so, he would be condemning Lillian to death. Then, he would be ridiculed for indirectly causing the death of a valuable person… He would never be forgiven, by himself or by others…

* * *

_Into the trees_

_Past meadow grounds_

_And further away from my home_

_Baying behind me_

_I hear the hounds_

_Flock's chasing me to find me alone_

_A trail of sickness_

_Leading to me_

_If I am haunted_

_Then you will see_

* * *

Growing increasingly desperate, he raised his voice to a yell. As he did, his heart gradually began to sink out of fear. If she was dead or captured, he believed, the struggle to restore peace could end in disaster.

"Lillian! Where are you? If you can hear me, say something! I don't want to leave you here…!"

No response echoed throughout the forest. His breathing was no longer controlled, but now very hectic. An urge to allow tears stream from his eyes was now an untamed beast viciously clawing at him, threatening to tear him apart limb by limb. Maybe the search was hopeless… No, he must find her, no matter the cost. With all his strength, he unleashed a fierce yell that spread throughout the trees.

"_**LILLIAN!"**_

* * *

_Searching the darkness_

_And emptiness_

_I'm hiding away from the sun_

_Will never rest_

_Will never be at ease_

_All my matter's expired so I run_

* * *

Mario and his group wandered around the decimated town in search of any survivors. By now, the wind had vanished into nothingness, leaving the scenery quiet and still. As they caught sight of more bodies out on the streets, their hopes gradually began to darken.

_What if there were no survivors…?_ The thought alone almost sickened Mario; aside from Ganondorf, who else would be this cruel to consume the lives of hundreds of innocent people? He twisted his head towards the nearby lake, only to notice an abnormal red color to it along with several bodies floating on the surface. It appeared that the lake in the town had not been spared from Death casting his mark via the Orm's Lords.

If only he and his group had been in the town when the Lords reared their hideous heads….

"No fair," Bowser grunted out of frustration, all while examining the bodies. "I wished to take these guys in as my slaves…"

"Uh, Bowser," DK muttered, "If the Lords succeed with their plans, then you'll be converted to a slave yourself. That is, if they don't kill you first."

That comment struck a chord in some of the members. No doubt, DK was pointing out something important; failure could be certain death or, worse yet, eternal slavery. If the latter fate was selected for them, it would be never-ending, agonizing torture. They would be forced to work for long hours, non-stop, until they were out of energy or the Lords disposed of them. It would certainly be the equivalent of being chained to Hell. The only way to prevent either deadly fate is to gather the staff pieces before… those robed figures do.

"Wait, did you-a hear something?" Luigi spat. His ears apparently picked up a rustle that emitted from the nearby trees. It would have been passed off as natural, had there been any wind. Someone or something was lurking in the trees nearby, and Luigi was fully aware of it. Unfortunately, the others failed to take notice.

"Yoshi hear nothing," Yoshi piped up, scratching his head in the process. Was Luigi really pointing out something important, or was he simply acting paranoid?

"Me neither," Diddy added.

"What are you up to, Green Bean?" Bowser taunted. "I don't hear anything. If you're making stuff up, I'm gonna hammer you. No joke."

That nearly aggravated the green-clad plumber. "Wha…? I'm-a serious. There's something in the trees! We better go check it out in case it's-a something dangerous."

"Hopefully, you're-a right," Mario replied, dusting his hat off. "If not, then we're-a going to simply be wasting time." He strode over to the nearby forest, hoping to discover what was creating the noise. As he did so, the other members followed him, also curious about the noise that Luigi had supposedly heard. Approaching with cautious footsteps, they twirled left and right, up and down to locate the source. For a while, nothing was heard. During the period of silence, Bowser's frustration started to boil up; if Luigi was lying about the noise, then he would need a good old-fashioned punishment. Mario was also becoming increasingly irritable, albeit on a much lesser scale than his nemesis. Just before the two of them were preparing to leave, however, a sudden rustle was heard. Mario quickly whirled around, now on full alert to locate the noise.

"I-a guess you were right after all, bro," Mario whispered.

The rustling continued, and the party members continued to search for the noise source. While this was occurring, nervousness took root within Luigi's mind. He feared that something might pop out in front of his face, which, given his less-than-courageous personality, would cause him to lose it completely. Diddy was also tense, now resorting to hiding behind DK. While they revealed no signs of it, the others were receiving chills down their spines as well; even Bowser and Wario were legitimately jumpy at that point. The rustling increased in volume, louder and louder, until…

It just suddenly stopped.

"Hm," Mario sighed. "Whatever was producing that-a noise is gone. We must-a continue searching for survivors."

"Well," Wario grunted, "That was wei-"

Before he could say anything else, the forest was suddenly alight with a furious blood red glow. By natural stimulus, the more timid members yelped and tripped backwards at this new scene, only to rush to the rear of the group. His eyes slowly adjusting to this newfound sight, Mario locked his view onto a group of figures standing still under the foliage of the trees; he perceived these figures to be garbed in blackened robes that blocked out most aspects of each member's individual persona. Performing a left-to-right visual sweep of the forest, he noticed that there couldn't have been more than forty of them. No matter how hard he tried, however, he just couldn't distinguish one member of the group from another aside from gender and, less potentially, age. What really snatched his attention, though, was the emblem adorned on each figure's robes. It immediately struck a chord in him that he had previously noticed this emblem via an image conjured by Lillian back at the Smash Mansion.

If the emblem was a snake, then that could mean one thing only…

"So," Mario spat, "You guys must-a be the Lords that I've-a been hearing about recently." As he spoke, a bright flame began to spread across his hands, a sign that he was ready for battle. "I don't-a what you were thinking when you murdered those townspeople, but I'm-a going to make sure that you won't harm anyone else."

For a while, both sides of the upcoming battle were silent, with no spoken word whatsoever. The only sound heard was the revived wind blowing through the town, which only served to build up the tension in the atmosphere. It, in the minds of each party member, was appropriate for a battle to the death. Mario was fully aware that he and his group could die here if they were careless, but once each member entered a fighting stance, there was certainly no backing out now… They would either succeed or die here. But, wait…

Didn't Lillian mention fleeing from the Lords if they proved to be too powerful?

Mario was suddenly taken aback; anyone who was close to him personally would understand that he was never the type of person to decline a challenge. And yet, her comment was suggesting him to act otherwise. He grimaced at that thought, never one to be comfortable with turning down something difficult. It was an excruciatingly brutal dilemma indeed. What seemed like a minute rushed by before he swore to himself and Lillian; he would only flee as an absolute last resort. While he was finalizing the vow, a voice echoed from the Lords. This particular voice was quiet, but with a haunting, hissing tone to it. It was screaming pure evil to the Smashers present. Luigi nearly shook out of fright, forcing him to lower his hat over his ears.

"The serpent will rise… Its sea of darkness will usher in a new era for all the realms…" The party members soon realized that the voice was originating from a woman within the crowd; most of also noticed that there was a distinct Scandinavian tone to it, similar to Lillian. That could only mean that she was from the same realm as the pure-hearted maiden. Before any of them could even react, one member of the cult stepped forward from the others. From where Mario was glued to, he perceived this person to be a younger female, perhaps no older than her late 20s. She possessed dark-colored hair, just several shades brighter than the uniform that she was donning and neatly tucked into her hood. What really distanced her from the other cult members was that her serpent emblem was a bright red in color; all other members had their emblems painted a dull grey. That indicated some sort of leadership role. Was she a captain of some sort, or the cult leader? Mario and his group had no luck in figuring out the answer. Another thing that stood out was a sheath fixated on her left hip, which was carrying a sword inside of it.

Wait a minute; she was the one who slashed that poor Koopa in the chest. Didn't she? No doubt, the horizontal wound etched across his chest could have only been created by a blade.

"You must-a be searching for more people to maim, eh?" Mario growled furiously. The flame on his fists intensified on cue.

"So," the woman replied, "You are here to prevent us from awaking the serpent… Ignorant beings, do you not realize that it must be awakened for the world to be shaped into its perfect form? It is necessary that we complete our plans. If we must kill you, then so be it."

"Hey!" Bowser shouted, "Your so-called "plans" just ruined my plot to take over this fucking place! Get over here so that I can slice your heads off!"

The malevolent female was unfazed by Bowser's spiteful comment. "You poor brute… I feel sorry for you. Did not your family members teach you proper manners? Oh, what am I saying? Of course they did not. But, we will be more than glad to act as a superior replacement for them."

"Rrrgh…!" The Koopa Kingdom's crown ruler could not help but allow a detesting rage to accumulate within him. _Who even gave her the right to talk trash about my family,_ he pondered, _MY family?! I'm really gonna tear her apart, until there is nothing left of her._

"Please," Yoshi squeaked in a tone that tried to pass itself off as confident, but ended up sounding frightened, "Leave place now and don't come back."

"Aww, is the wittle dinosaur scared?"

That nearly sent Yoshi into shock. The woman was able to exploit his newborn fear of the Lords with that teasing comment alone; how crueler could she get? Only time would tell… Yoshi shuffled backwards to maintain a safe distance from the woman. Coincidentally, the latter positioned herself closer to the party, which forced the dinosaur to stumble further away.

"If you-a want a battle," Mario grunted, all while creating a fireball in his hands, "We'll-a grant you your request."

With his final words, Mario hurled the fireball towards the dark-colored crowd, resulting in a member's robes igniting instantly. The man struck by the blow screamed in pain as he desperately attempted in vain to extinguish the fire. On cue, both sides were soon engaging each other in a heated battle. Bowser raised his claws into the air to slice up two cultists, whereupon both of them were sent flying backwards with deep wounds. Surprisingly, the two regained their composure with little effort on their part and Bowser suddenly noticed that their wounds were beginning to heal at an abnormally fast rate.

"Huh? How's that possible?" he grunted.

That comment left him distracted long enough to receive a free hit from a cultist, who fired a beam of dark energy at the Koopa King. Bowser was forced painfully into a nearby tree. Meanwhile, Luigi and Yoshi were surrounded by a group of ten hostiles. Just when it seemed that there was no way out, Yoshi bounced into the air to ground pound three of his assailants, while Luigi delivered a painful breakdancing kick to another two. A cultist was strangling Diddy with only one hand, while fighting the smaller ape's attempts at resisting. As Diddy slowly lost consciousness, he attempted to pinch his enemy's hands but had received no luck at all. Just then, DK brutally smacked the man with a dreaded Giant Punch, his signature attack; a loud crack was heard by all on impact and the man collapsed to the ground. Diddy broke free and was soon pummeling another robed figure. Wario stretched his mouth far and wide to chomp on a foe. The cultist screamed loudly as teeth slowly crushed him to a pulp and it wasn't until Wario was thrown backwards by another one of the Lords that he was able to escape, abeit with deep bite marks and a horrific stench of garlic. Elsewhere in the battlefield, Mario was now face-to-face with the group leader, ready for a one-on-one battle with her.

"Time to-a get this over with, whoever you are," he called, pounding his fists together. All during that moment, an expression of sheer confidence overtook his face. In his mind, he was ready to face her in combat, just like how he was ready to conquer any enemy that blocked the way to his objectives. Still, he would have to be careful, for he had never faced an enemy like her before and was without an indicator as to what she was capable of…

"Oh, how rude of me," she spat, slowly reaching for her blade in the process. "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Agnetha Lindgren and I serve as a captain in the glorious organization of the Lords. You wouldn't dare to try and challenge me, would you? I'm very skilled with the blade, so if you have a death wish, then just try to fight with your bare hands."

"Who cares if-a you're a captain of your precious group? That doesn't mean that I can't-a defeat you. In fact, I should-a be taking you down right now… By the way, it's-a me, Mario!"

"Alright then. Have at you!" Immediately, she jerked her sword out of its sheath, ready to spill blood upon the soil. Her blade was revealed to be decorated with a sapphire at the hilt, while the hilt itself appeared to be forged from silver. Mario, or any person for that matter, would have glanced at the blade to closely examine its beauty, if only it wasn't being used against him at the moment. He sprinted towards her, right fist extended, to deliver a furious punch; it successfully impacted her, but she was not launched far. She regained her composure and swung her blade at neck-breaking speeds, each swing forming a bright blue crescent that resonated with great intensity. It was enough to contrast sharply with the dark forest. Mario was, for someone of his body structure, very agile to dodge most of the strikes, but a mistake eventually inflicted a cut on his right shoulder. As the battle continued, Mario launched several fireballs at her, hoping to deliver another blow, but the woman, now known as Agnetha, utilized rapid-fire slices to dispel all of the fiery projectiles in an instant. He was almost at a loss of words upon witnessing that feature.

_Her attacks are like a flow of quicksilver_, the plumber pondered. _Hopefully, I don't waste my energy trying to beat her._

* * *

On the other side of the field, Bowser leaped up into the air to perform a bone-shattering butt stomp on three cultists; the ending result was a painful headache for the victims, as well as a short snicker from the massive Koopa. Shortly after that, he aggressively grabbed a female member and launched her into Yoshi, who extended his tongue outwards to swallow her. An egg was summoned and used by the dinosaur to knock several members over like bowling pins; painful yelps were heard by those nearby, followed by a cracking noise. Luigi was hammered in the back of the head by a darkness-fueled fist from an out-of-sight aggressor, resulting in the exacerbation of his head injury from before and a far worse temptation to vomit. As he struggled to push himself off the ground, DK had to protect him with his famed Spinning Kong maneuver to repel all nearby enemies. Diddy also rushed to the rescue by firing peanuts from his popguns, with each peanut bopping an unfortunate foe like a pellet fired from a BB gun. The area was soon cleared, if only temporarily, in a matter of seconds and DK aided the sickened plumber in his struggle to stand up.

"Hey…" Luigi groaned, his face once more fading to a sick green color. "Thanks…"

"No problem," the ape replied. The next image that slapped him in the face, however, was Luigi finally succumbing to the bodily tormentor known as nausea and splashing the contents of his stomach onto the soil. DK, by natural instinct, blocked out his eyes from glaring at the rather disgusting mess; the food items that Luigi had consumed earlier were now half-digested to a near-unrecognizable mixture, complete with a significant amount of acid that was responsible for breaking down the aforementioned items. Besides that, a strong smell was starting to irritate DK's nose. It was truly a sickening sight to witness, enough to where the ape fled from the vomit pile to continue battling with the Lords while leaving Luigi and Diddy behind.

* * *

"Take this!" Bowser yelled, while retracting into his shell. He directed his shell at a small group nearby, slicing all those present. Once the giant Koopa was finished, he twisted around to catch a glimpse of cultists with deep cuts on their bodies, the outcome of him utilizing his shell's spikes. He also noticed blood on the nearby, but, strangely enough, the color of it was… black? Wait a minute, back up. If the color of the cultists' blood was pitch-black, then something must be unusual about these people. But, what exactly does the color mean…

Bowser had not the time to figure out just what the unusual blood color might represent, for his enemies were regenerating and at him again. A boiling rage was starting to root itself into Bowser's mindset; there was almost no way that a normal person would still be standing after suffering horrible wounds. These figures must be in possession of some type of magic that is granting them advance regenerative abilities. No other explanation seemed to present itself.

"Won't you just die already?" he roared.

* * *

Mario was still battling Agnetha, with limited progress. His left cheek was cut open by her blinding swordplay, something that he had not witnessed from someone that was not Marth, Roy, Ike, or any of the Links. _She must have been training with that blade for years,_ he pondered. It was all that echoed throughout his head as he narrowly avoided a fatal stabbing blow, just to deliver a counterattack to the stomach. Letting out a minor yelp of pain, Agnetha was ready to prepare another attack, but her opponent was quick enough to squeeze her wrists to interrupt the potential killing strike. The two were immediately forced into a stalemate, with both characters fiercely battling for control. Neither side was willing to crack under pressure.

"Give up while you still can," the swordswoman sneered in a sinister tone.

Mario's only response was a harsh glance directed at her; being a man of determination, he was not going to allow this mistress to cleave him in half, not here or anywhere else. With one loud yell, he shoved Agnetha backwards before tackling her to the soil, preparing to pummel her. In the process, the sword was tossed into the air before firmly planting itself next to a nearby tree. Before long, Agnetha was receiving punishing blows from the enraged plumber, which caused her hood to slide off slowly. Each blow was like a hammer slamming against her skull, which amounted to real pain.

"Had enough?" Mario taunted, still retaining his assault on her.

Even with her injuries, Agnetha was able to unleash a burst of laughter from her mouth, which confused the plumber. Just what was so funny? Her behavior had to be referring to his comment, for there was nothing else to provoke that kind of action. Before he could react, though, she conjured an electrical current throughout her body to electrocute him. A sharp, bodily pain was clawing into him during that brief but terrible moment; it was almost the equivalent of being roasted by Bowser's fire breath, which itself was something that he would rather not go through. Time was slowed down for him, stretching mere seconds into minutes or even hours. But this would not be the end of this damaging moment, as the captain would hoist him up with unnatural strength to bury him into the confines of the grounded snow. As he tried to support himself, Agnetha fired a blast of dark matter from her palms not only to worsen his condition but to fling him into a nearby building.

* * *

Wario was engaging the cultists like a madman; his fists were soaring left and right, up and down to ensure that he reduced them all down to bloodied, lifeless pulps. His luck would be stolen from him when an adversary kicked him right in the stomach. Granted that the flatulence produced was able to incapacitate an unlucky opponent from behind, Wario was painfully and instantly winded. As he sank to his knees, he desperately hurled his arms to repel his approaching antagonists, but was halted when two of the Lords restrained him with minimal effort on their part. His struggling provided no help to him, but rather a fist aimed for his nose. Upon impact, a cracking sound sparked from Wario's nose, followed by drops of blood pouring from his nostrils. It was enough to drive Wario into a less stable mentality.

"My nose!" he shrieked. "How-a dare you ruin the great Wario's nose! When I-a break free, I will so make you guys pay up!"

Yoshi was nearby when he overheard Wario's wrathful comment. Quickly tail-slapping two foes away, he then sprinted to the overweight man's location. An egg constructed itself around him and, within the few seconds that slipped away, was ready to barrel through the robed hostiles. Yoshi first directed it at the two Lords that were physically restraining Wario, tripping them from underneath and allowing his ally to lay down a borderline non-stop combo on the cult member who had previously delivered the hard kick. The combo was eventually concluded with a rising uppercut that forced the selected victim into a forced slumber. Yoshi's next targets were the foes that formed a circle around the two apes. DK slammed his fists into the ground to produce a mini-earthquake that launched some of his enemies into the air, while Diddy utilized his acrobatic abilities to confuse and strike down any aggressor that threatened him. The latter ape was latched on a female cult member's head, smacking her repeatedly with his palms, when his eyes suddenly received a short-lived image of Yoshi's egg about to flatten a couple of the Lords, including the one that he was currently pummeling. With a very small reaction window remaining, Diddy leaped off to avoid suffering the same fate as the would-be victims. During that moment, DK provided some assistance to Yoshi by chucking some of the cultists into the egg's path. The result was a stream of stunned foes that surrounded the two simians; DK momentarily smirked at them, satisfied with his work, while Diddy clapped his hands three times out of temporary victory.

* * *

Luigi was recovering from his bout of sickness, barely having any time to dodge an electrical shock from a cult member approaching him from the left. He retaliated with a grass-tinted fireball, which struck his opponent with a flame-filled impact. As he watched on, his opponent was writhing, screaming in pure, unfettered pain. Despite the attempts to dispel the fierce heat, the cultist was ultimately doomed to die a human fireball. The falling snow, mixed with the cold weather, was inadequate in blowing out the fire. It seemed that the flames were transcending scientific explanation to continue burning in this chilling environment. The villainous man finally sank to the ground, never to rise up again. Luigi then realized something; earlier, Bowser was slashing at more those figures and all of them were able to regenerate so that they can withstand more punishment. But, as soon as that fireball was launched, the cultist failed to regenerate, leaving his injuries to kill him. That would only mean…

"They're-a vulnerable to fire," Luigi muttered. "I need to-a inform Bowser about this."

* * *

Closer to one of the now-abandoned buildings, Mario was close to blacking out completely. The energy beam, mixed with his collision into a wall, had left him with bruises and cuts all over his body. Struggling to sustain himself, he could barely notice Agnetha approaching from the distance. Through the mystical power of telekinesis, she had regained her blade and was prepared to shed blood with it, that is, if he remained frozen to the spot that he was on. Mario attempted to strike the swordswoman once more, but his attempted attack would be cut short when she caught his fist just several inches before impact. Using her sword, she tried to disembowel him, but his short hop backwards caused her to cut at his knees instead. In response, Agnetha's superhuman strength kicked in once again when she delivered a bone-smashing palm strike to crush him into a wall. Once his physical form was buried, Mario's mind was filled with one thought: just how powerful was she? The answer was beyond him at that point. He was already knowledgeable about the strength of many foes that he had battled in years past, even when considering the potential of Tabuu and the now-dissolved Subspace Army, but she was a complete unknown to him.

"Are you ready to perish, foolish man?" Agnetha's voice hissed.

"Not if I-a finish you off first…" was Mario's response. The next thing that he felt was Agnetha's free hand squeezing his throat while he was firmly pressed against the damaged wall. His eyes soon glanced at a blade fixated in a position that would pierce his chest if he remained immobile. Given from the way that it was positioned, the blade was easily comparable to a stake ready to tear through a vampire's heart. He also was now able to examine Agnetha's face with her hood removed. Her hair was revealed to have a smooth, dark tint of red to it and its maximum length was close to the middle of her neck, while her eyes appeared to have the same grass-colored tone as Lillian's. To add, her facial features were smooth in character, not revealing any signs of aging whatsoever. Admittedly, she was a true beauty to behold, but said beauty only served to masquerade her malicious intentions… Without hesitation, Agnetha propelled her instrument of death forward, only for it to be frozen by Mario's nimble hands.

"I'm not-a going down without a fight," the wounded plumber grunted.

The captain ignored the comment and continued to push her weapon forward, utilizing her overwhelming physical might. The sword was creeping towards Mario's chest, and the only thing slowing it down was him grappling it by the blade area. While this was occurring, blood leaked from his hands; this was, without a doubt, from the blade creating long wounds on his palms. A minute had passed, and the blade was driven into the far right side of his chest after he directed it away from his heart. It was literally tearing through him, creating a sharp, burning pain that zipped to other areas of his injured and bleeding form. When this will ever end or if he will even survive at all were questions that were carved into his mind. But, there was one haunting thought that overshadowed the questions…

He was slowly, but definitely, losing the fight.

* * *

"Bowser!" Luigi called.

"What do you want?" the burly Koopa responded.

"I just-a realized something; these guys are vulnerable to fire! It stops their regenerative abilities! Maybe you can bring your fire breath into play and roast them alive."

Bowser couldn't resist the urge to chuckle loudly. He was surely going to enjoy incinerating those interlopers who ruined his eventual plans of ruling the Mushroom Kingdom…

"Are you ready to turn up the heat?" the younger plumber muttered.

"Gladly. Let's see if they can withstand my wrath!"

With those final words, a stream of fire was flowing out of the Koopa King's mouth in an instant. Not too far away, the two apes, Wario, and Yoshi separated themselves from the Lords so that Bowser could perform his job without any interference. Fire met blackened robes; the cultists were now subjected to the full mercy of the fiery inferno that was now sweeping through the battlefield, with no possible way out of this situation. Screams of pain filled the once-silent air; human fireballs swept the ground in all directions, melting the snow that was glued to the soil. Strangely, the newly-conceived water was ineffective in preventing the Lords from being roasted into a crisp. The other members, save for Mario, simply watched on out of horror and triumph, keeping a safe distance away from the field so as to not fall victim to Bowser's blazing fury. Within the minutes that breezed by, the robed figures finally succumbed to the fires that consumed them. All that was left was a field filled with charred corpses, mixed in with the bodies of the good-willed townspeople. The party members could not believe it.

They had just defeated foes that they had originally deemed almost impossible to beat.

"Yes! We've kicked their behinds!" Wario cheered.

"Yes, we did," Bowser complimented, with a grin on his face.

"Wait a second, where's Mario?" Diddy interjected. He was the first to realize that Mario was not with the others. The other members shot confused glares at him before rotating their heads to search for the red-clad plumber.

"Wait, what?" DK muttered. "Where did he go?"

"Oh, no," Yoshi suddenly shrieked, "Mario in trouble!"

The others leaped at the sound of Yoshi's cry. When they noticed him aiming his pointer finger at a certain direction, they immediately twisted towards that direction to have their eyes hammered by a frightening sight. Next to an abandoned building was Mario, bloodied and in definite peril. He was attempting to prevent Agnetha, the captain of the hostile group, from inflicting any more injury against him, but it seemed that he would collapse from his previous wounds, which could spell final doom.

"Guys, we have to help him!" DK shouted. As the others trailed behind, DK started to swing his left arm in a circular motion, preparing for a brutal attack. Fueled by adrenaline, DK sprinted with furious speed to rescue Mario before he was killed.

* * *

Mario was still struggling to stop Agnetha from harming him any further. His hands were beginning to tremble from the blood loss, while his vision started to fade away.

"Any last words?" Agnetha jeered.

"Yes," the plumber shot back.

"What are those words, pray tell?"

"Look behind you."

It was too late for her to even react. A giant fist collided with her body, flinging her all the way to a nearby tree and causing her to once more lose her sword. This time, however, the sword remained stuck in Mario's wounded form; the plumber had to painfully slide it out of his body to free himself.

"Bro," Luigi whimpered, "Are you okay?"

Mario coughed a few drops of blood before finally responding, "I-a need some… treatment…"

"We'll-a get you some help soon. Can you stand?"

Mario's legs wobbled as he attempted to stabilize himself; his leg wounds were restraining him from achieving his intended objectives and his blood loss only worsened things for him. While he limped away from the wall, the others, except for Bowser, only stared at him in pure horror as they noticed his injuries. Meanwhile, Agnetha was stunned from the devastating attack inflicted by DK. As she dragged herself upwards, Bowser approached her with a tremendous anger shining from his eyes.

"There you are," he growled. "I really should have expected more from your precious Lords here. Green Bean just revealed to me that you guys are weak to fire. And do you understand why? Because it hurts your regeneration powers! Now, I've got an itsy bitsy surprise for you. I was originally going to save this for Mario, but since you've really pissed me off, I'll just give it to you instead."

Without warning, he launched a massive fireball from his mouth; before Agnetha could even react, her body was set ablaze by the hazardous projectile, along with the tree that she was leaning against. With a victorious smile, he strode away from the burning mess to reunite with the others. It was there that he finally recognized the severity of Mario's injuries.

"Uh, Mario?" he grunted indifferently. "You look kinda beat there…"

"I'll-a be fine, Bowser…" his rival replied.

"So, what do we-a do now?" Wario puffed, unsure of what to do next.

"We'll need to head to Smithy's old factory of his; the first of piece of the Staff of Björn will be there…"

"But, Yoshi don't know how to get there," Yoshi squeaked.

"Even though the dino's never been there, he has a point. How are we supposed to reenter the factory?" Bowser added.

Before Mario could utter another word, a voice rang from several yards away.

"Master Mario? Is that you?"

Mario weakly shifted his head towards the source of the voice. A smaller figure was slowly bouncing in the group's direction; with his vision blurred, it was difficult for him to recognize who the person was at first. He had to wait patiently for the figure to approach him before he could discern all the details. It was then revealed the figure was actually an elderly Toad; he was distinguishable by his glasses as well as his kempt mustache. Another thing that separated him from the others was his attire; instead of the usual coat that most Toads wear, he was in possession of a more formal coat that was neatly decorated with a reddish bowtie at the neck area. The final property that stood out was a cane in his right hand, indicative of old age.

"T… Toadsworth?" Mario coughed. The elderly Toad approached him, only to stumble backwards at the sight of Mario's bloodied wounds.

"Good heavens!" he yelped. "What happened to you?"

"…difficult fight. What-a are you doing here?"

"I noticed a battle happening near the outer forest, so I exited the castle and I realized that you and Master Luigi were among the participants; you were battling those robed fellows, weren't you?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I had stay inside one of the buildings so that they wouldn't do anything terrible to me just like they did to those poor souls. Thankfully, you gentlemen had won the fight, so I wanted to come out here to assist you. And, it appears that you have some guests with you. I can recognize… err, Bowser, I believe? But, I need to familiarize myself with the others. Care to give me your names?"

"Yoshi!" the green dinosaur chirped.

"I'm Donkey Kong," DK sighed, "And with me is my cousin, Diddy."

"Alright then," Toadsworth grumbled, "I need you folks to enter the castle with me, or rather, what's left of it."

The group followed Toadsworth with no objections into the castle, a temporary haven that they could rest in… for now.

* * *

It was now closer to the later stages of morning; most of the sun's brightness was blocked by the dark clouds, but the scenery was nevertheless brighter than before. The carnage within Toad Town's boundaries was more exposed, enough to where one can witness it from several yards away. Among the bodies present were those of the Lords, including leading captain Agnetha Lindgren. The silence that accompanied the haunting scenery would be enough to deliver a chilling feeling down a person's spine. It all seemed normal for the aftermath of a grand massacre.

Except for one thing…

A dark energy was stretching itself across the swordswoman's body, similar to a lava flow coating the sides of a volcano after eruption. Before long, she was completely coated in the darkness, with no trace of her body exposed to the outer environment. Seconds passed, before the energy vaporized into thin air; Agnetha stepped out of it, completely revived and with no traces of burn injuries at all. After regaining her sword, she glanced at the charred bodies of her subordinates before rotating her head left and right to search for Mario and his party. After a minute of searching, she noticed that they were nowhere in sight. No matter; the next time that she crossed paths with them, she would slaughter them all.

"Do not think that you have defeated me yet, Mario…" she hissed before utilizing her magic to teleport out of the area.

* * *

_After witnessing the dead bodies of the citizens, I just could not believe it. There is no way that murdering those unworthy of death is justifiable. Lillian was right about those creeps; they will not hesitate to kill innocents and will punish those who screw up even once with death. Seeing that I was almost killed by Agnetha, I really need to stop getting overconfident and listen to Lillian more. No joke._

_-Mario_

* * *

**Finally, this chapter is up… Schoolwork, among other things, was really keeping me busy.**

**In regards to the violent content that was present in the chapter, if the later parts of the story turn out to be more violent, I might raise the rating of the story to M. It all depends on how I feel that the story should turn out. If, upon seeing the later chapters, you want me to raise the rating, just let me know.**

**Notes:**

**-The lyrics presented during the man's search for Lillian comes from Opeth's "Reverie/Harlequin Forest", from the album "Ghost Reveries". Mind you that I did not include the entire set of lyrics, just the segment that I thought was the most appropriate for the scene.  
**

**-Agnetha's name is derived from a combination of Agnetha Fältskog (member of the now-defunct Swedish pop group ABBA) and Peter Lindgren (former guitarist for Opeth).**


End file.
